1. Purpose of This Notice. This notice provides inspectors with information on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved deicing program for Winter 2025–2026. This notice is designed to be used in conjunction with the FAA Holdover Times (HOT)...
2. Audience. The primary audience for this notice is the Flight Standards (FS) Safety Assurance offices’ Principal Operations Inspectors (POI) responsible for approving an air carrier’s deicing program. The secondary audience includes the Office of Sa...
3. Where You Can Find This Notice. You can find this notice on the MyFAA employee website at https://employees.faa.gov/tools_resources/orders_notices and the Dynamic Regulatory System (DRS) at https://drs.faa.gov. Operators and the public can find thi...
4. Applicable Regulations. Title 14 CFR § 121.629(c), § 125.221(b)(3), or § 135.227(b)(3) permit persons to dispatch, release, or take off an aircraft in ground icing conditions, provided they have an approved ground deicing/anti-icing program that me...
5. Changes (Additions, Updates, and Deletions). Minor editorial updates have been made throughout related documents. Sidebars indicate text that has been added, deleted, or modified. Changes to the HOTs and related documents can be found in the Summar...
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION N 8900.747
NOTICE
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION Effective Date: 8/1/25 National Policy Cancellation Date: 8/1/26 SUBJ: FAA - Approved Deicing Program for Winter 2025 – 2026 1. Purpose of This Notice. This notice provides inspectors with information on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved deicing program for Winter 2025–2026. This notice is designed to be used in conjunction with the FAA Holdover Times (HOT), Degree-Specific Holdover Times (DSHOT), Regression Data, and Allowance Time Guidelines for Winter 2025–2026. This notice replaces Notice N 8900.708, FAA-Approved Deicing Program for Winter 2024–2025, which expired on August 2, 2025. This notice contains guidance that is pertinent to Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) §§ 121.629(c), 125.221(b), and 135.227(b)(3).
2. Audience. The primary audience for this notice is the Flight Standards (FS) Safety Assurance offices’ Principal Operations Inspectors (POI) responsible for approving an air carrier’s deicing program. The secondary audience includes the Office of Safety Standards (OSS).
3. Where You Can Find This Notice. You can find this notice on the MyFAA employee website at https://employees.faa.gov/tools_resources/orders_notices and the Dynamic Regulatory System (DRS) at https://drs.faa.gov . Operators and the public can find this notice on the FAA’s website at https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/orders_notices and DRS.
Note: The FAA HOT Guidelines for Winter 2025–2026 and related documents can be found on the Air Transportation Division’s (AFS-200) Aircraft Ground Deicing web page at https://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/airline_op erators/airline_safety/deicing .
4. Applicable Regulations. Title 14 CFR § 121.629(c), § 125.221(b)(3), or § 135.227(b)(3) permit persons to dispatch, release, or take off an aircraft in ground icing conditions, provided they have an approved ground deicing/anti-icing program that meets the requirements of 14 CFR § 121.629(c). In lieu of the regulatory requirements above, potential alternative procedures approved by the Administrator are permitted under 14 CFR §§ 125.221(b)(2) and 135.227(b)(2) or pretakeoff contamination checks are permitted under 14 CFR §§ 121.629(d), 125.221(b)(1), and 135.227(b)(1).
5. Changes (Additions, Updates, and Deletions). Minor editorial updates have been made throughout related documents. Sidebars indicate text that has been added, deleted, or modified.
Distribution: Electronic Only Initiated By: AFS-200
6. POI Action.
7. Disposition. We will incorporate the information in this notice or in FAA documents referenced in this notice into FAA Order 8900.1 or other appropriate guidance before this notice expires. Direct questions or comments concerning the information in...
8/1/25 N 8900.747 Changes to the HOTs and related documents can be found in the Summary of Changes section at the beginning of the Holdover Time Guidelines and Associated Documents for Winter 2025–2026, also located on the Aircraft Ground Deicing web page.
6. POI Action.
a. HOT Guidelines. POIs should recommend that the applicable HOTs and guidance be incorporated into the operator’s procedures or programs.
b. Safety Assurance System (SAS) Data Collection Tool (DCT). The POI will create and may complete or assign another designated aviation safety inspector (ASI) to complete a Custom DCT (C DCT), utilizing Master List of Functions (MLF) Element Design DCT (ED DCT) 6.4.2 (OP) Operations in Ground Icing to assess the certificate holder’s (CH) aircraft ground deicing/anti-icing program submission.
(1) Enter “Ground Icing 25-26” in the “Custom DCT Name” field.
(2) Record this notice number in the “Local/Divisional/National” field.
(3) Select the “Design” radio button.
(4) Ensure that “Yes” is selected for “Requires Own Assessment?” (5) Leave the “L/D/N Locked?” checkbox unchecked.
c. Additional Surveillance and Action. The POI is required to determine if additional surveillance is required or further air carrier action is necessary to address the potential increased risk. Possible additional actions may include retargeting the Comprehensive Assessment Plan (CAP) to include accomplishing appropriate Design Assessments (DA) or Performance Assessments (PA), convening a System Analysis Team (SAT), or reevaluating air carrier approvals or programs.
7. Disposition. We will incorporate the information in this notice or in FAA documents referenced in this notice into FAA Order 8900.1 or other appropriate guidance before this notice expires. Direct questions or comments concerning the information in this notice to AFS-200 at 202-267-8166 or 9-AFS-200-Correspondence@faa.gov.
Robert Reckert for Lawrence Fields Executive Director, Flight Standards Service